


Wait

by MrsRen



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alone in the Tent, Angst, Deathly Hallows AU, F/M, Hopeful Ending, Horcrux Hunt, Not Ron Bashing, Ron leaves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23481466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsRen/pseuds/MrsRen
Summary: When Ron leaves them in the middle of the hunt, Harry to confront the fact that possibly, his feelings toward Hermione aren't entirely friendly. At the same time, Hermione realizes that maybe she's been holding on to what she thought was meant to happen rather than what she wanted to happen.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Comments: 39
Kudos: 283





	Wait

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Lyric Llama hosted by Harmony & Co on FB for the month of April! Angst ahead! Please be aware this has not been beta'd and all mistakes are my own.
> 
> This fic was inspired by the lyrics And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed in my neck I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet. And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now from Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran. I claim no ownership of it, I only used it as inspiration.

* * *

Outside of the tent, the wind whistled, ripping past them when a violent shake to the walls of a tent that made a makeshift home. Harry sat on the floor, picking at the dirt crusted under his nails, and he watched her from his side of the tent. With an uneven thump to his heart, Harry watched Hermione wipe her eyes with the bottom of her palms, but the tears didn't stop.

He wanted to blame Ron, he did. Hermione probably did too, but she wouldn't entertain the thought for long. Rationally—and that wasn't always a trait that came easily to Harry—they both realized it was the locket at fault, and really, the Dark Lord.

If it weren't for the fact that they were forced to take turns wearing the locket, and allowing it to gradually pick away at them, they probably wouldn't be two instead of three.

A soft whimper sounded, and even the wind couldn't block it out. Hermione's shoulders trembled just barely, but it was enough for him to see it.

All he was doing was redirecting the blame.

Sure, it was due to the locket that Ron had gotten a glimpse of what he'd described as Harry and Hermione tangled together, apparently locked in a heated embrace. And well, Harry would have been lying if he said he'd never imagined exactly _that_ himself.

And _sure,_ it was all because of one megalomaniac that the locket existed in the first place, so it was really _his_ fault, but Harry couldn't cast away his own guilt.

 _Hermione's like a sister_ , he had said and every word had been a lie. Harry had never had any intention of acting on it, up until now at least.

"Hermione," came his whisper. "You can't cry over him like this. It's not worth it."

She didn't face him when she nodded.

"I'm serious. He'll come around." Ron probably would too, he thought. In a couple of weeks, at the most, he'd show up and they would set things right. Then behind the scenes, when Harry wasn't paying attention, Ron and Hermione would somehow get back on track to whatever they were leading to.

Hermione lifted her head, and glanced at him. "I don't think it matters if he does anymore." She dug her fingers into her forearms, and forced a smile.

It was more like a grimace.

"If we all get out of this alive,"

Harry wanted to tell her not to put it that way, but he'd been thinking the same thing all along.

"What if Ron and I are together, and then we have a fight, and then he…" Hermione's teeth cut into her bottom lip, and her eyes filled with tears. "He left us, Harry. He left _me_ , and I know this isn't about me right now, but I begged him, Harry. I begged him and pleaded and he—" A sob wrenched free, and Harry was on his feet in an instant. "He left me once, and I'd feel like a bloody fool if I ever let him do it again."

Crossing the tent in a few short steps, Harry knelt down in front of her. "Hey, it's just me here. You can cry if you want."

Hermione scooted forward, and laid her head on his shoulder. "I can forgive him."

He rubbed her back. "I know you can."

She knotted her fingers in the front of his shirt. "I can't just forget this though. And I think...I think I've been holding onto the hope that there would be an _us_ when it came to Ron and I because it was supposed to be that way. Even when we didn't get along, everyone always said it. He always hinted at it, but he never came right out and said it."

Harry knew that too, but he didn't think this was the time for him to talk.

She had to get it out.

"It's as if I were the plan, solidly in place so he could do whatever he wanted because I was waiting. I'm so tired of waiting." Hermione turned her head, and sniffled. "God, I'm going to get your shirt wet."

Pressing her closer to him, Harry shook his head. "I don't mind."

"I don't want to wait for him to come back, Harry. Does that make me a terrible person?"

"Of course not."

"You wouldn't just say that because you're my friend, would you?"

His laugh was clipped. "No. No, I wouldn't."

Pretty brown eyes watered when she peered up at him, her lips parting and then closing until she found the words. "What do you think of all this?"

It was uncharted territory. The fact of it that could not be ignored was that Ron would still be his best mate, and the three of them would still be friends. It might not be easy, but it would happen, and anything he said—anything at all—would come out.

Harry decided it wasn't anything he couldn't say to Ron directly.

"I think you deserve better, always have. Ron cares about you—" many nights spent talking about her in the dorm came to mind "—but he hasn't shown it well. And leaving you? If it were me, I would have never done that."

He hadn't meant to insert _himself_ into the scenario.

"You left Ginny."

"You don't pull any punches, do you?" He smiled. "You're right. I did leave Ginny, but I think the split was mutual by that time."

Hermione's grip on him loosened. "Ron left because he was jealous. The circumstances were different, I know."

He stood, and held out his hand. "Come on, take my hand."

Begrudgingly, Hermione did and allowed him to pull her across the room. "What are you doing?"

Harry turned the wireless on with his free hand, and tugged Hermione into the curve of him.

"Dancing?" she asked. "Is this really the time?"

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Is it really not? There's nothing we can do to save the world tonight."

Lifting her arms, Hermione rested her arms over his shoulders and threaded her fingers together loosely. "We could plan how we're going to do it. It's a pretty hefty responsibility. We have to take it seriously, you—"

The thought popped into his head to kiss her. Just like that. Even just a faint pressure between his lips and hers as she continued to ramble on.

"'Mione, you've got to breathe."

Red filled her face.

"Listen, we're gonna save the world, and no matter how much we plan, there's going to be a point where we can't plan anyway."

"Is this your attempt at reassuring me? Telling me we're going to have to wing it does anything but that."

Right. "I just meant that we're going to figure it out, and we can take the night to ourselves. You're upset, and just because we're in the middle of all this—" Harry tilted his head to the side and his wire frames slipped down his nose "—doesn't mean… I had a point to all of this when I started."

Hermione laughed. She swayed with him, just like that in the middle of the tent. "I think I understand."

No, she really didn't, Harry thought.

She probably hadn't even scratched the surface.

She probably just thought he was being a good friend, but truthfully, that wasn't even the half of it.

"Don't wait for him." Harry whispered, his voice raw, and his arms tightened around her. "Ron's my best mate, but a good bloke wouldn't do this. "

Humming under her breath, Hermione seemed to search his face. "A good one would be here, making sure I'm okay."

He nodded.

"Distracting me."

Another nod.

"Maybe he'd dance with me."

That was a little _too_ on the nose.

"Harry?"

"I'm not saying anything." He blurted. "I wasn't trying to compare the two of us. Being here with you is the right thing to do."

Hermione arched a brow. Her eyes were dry by then, calculating even. "Is that the only reason you're here then? If you could leave without threat to, well, everything, would you still be here?"

He swallowed. His throat bobbed with the motion, and Harry stilled. "There is nowhere else I would rather be right now. World falling apart or no, everything feels alright when I'm right here."

When her face brightened, Hermione laid her head on his shoulder again. Her lips brushed the edge of his collar, and the smooth patch of skin at the bottom of his throat. "What Ron saw..." The question was out there, even if neither of them knew exactly how it was worded.

"Yes." He breathed. "I'm sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear."

"I think," she began softly, tracing slow circles at the nape of his neck. "I wanted to hear it, and know that I wasn't alone in my own thoughts. Maybe that makes me even more terrible, knowing that I thought it would be Ron when I couldn't confront what I actually wanted."

It would have been a moment to kiss her, but Harry had the thought that it might shatter whatever moment they had managed to get to, and it had taken so _long_ to get here.

Years even.

"But we're in the middle of a war now." Hermione continued, and there was a sudden drop in her voice. "And maybe we can't explore that right now."

"After," Harry rasped.

She gave a slight nod, and her lips slid across his pulse. "I promise."

They continued to sway, and he turned her under his arm before bringing her back to him.

"That's going to be the thought that gets me through all of this." Harry told her under his breath. "Knowing that you're going to be there, that there's a chance for this to—"

Hermione cupped his cheek. "I'm going to be here the entire time, Harry. Even when he comes back, and we continue on, I mean what I said about him."

She wasn't going to wait for him.

And maybe she couldn't jump into something with him, but that was more than fine. He'd probably be more worried if they did start something right away.

"I don't want to destroy friendships to light the way." The brush of her lips then couldn't have been an accident.

"After," he said. "I don't want to make you wait if you don't—"

Her grin was brilliant. "It's hardly waiting when we'll spend every day together." Hermione traced the bow of his lips with the tip of her finger. "After all of this is over, we'll figure it out."

They danced for a long while after that until he could barely remember how her sobs had sounded once she laughed. With every laugh, the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he could wait.

Besides, knowing Hermione, she probably already knew.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I wrote a Harry/Hermione! But that's about to change. Pretty soon I'll have a new WIP for them. It's a Hogwarts AU, no Voldemort. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, let me know! Reviews make my world go round.


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